{"id":69729,"date":"2020-08-17T13:00:54","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T20:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/?p=69729"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:58:29","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T21:58:29","slug":"best-film-schools-in-the-us-canada-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/best-film-schools-in-the-us-canada-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada 2020, Presented by CU Boulder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to MovieMaker’s annual list of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada, at what is obviously a very strange time for all schools.<\/p>\n

Movies and films have become, more than ever, a vital source of distraction and inspiration for millions of people across the globe. If it wasn\u2019t clear before so many of us were isolated at home, our desire for new stories will never subside. Women and men skilled enough to imagine and execute stories that enthrall us are in tremendous demand \u2014 especially from those who shine light on unseen experiences in a world fighting for gender parity and racial equity. For many, film school is the best way to channel artistry into a career.<\/p>\n

Although many colleges and universities plan to return to in-person classes \u2014 following safety regulations \u2014 it\u2019s unclear how much hands-on teaching will take place in the near-term. Filmmaking relies on real-world engagement with collaborators and tools. But in the reality we face today, innovation will be crucial.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve tried to balance these concerns in this year\u2019s list of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada. We\u2019ve looked at the best traditional directing, screenwriting, and cinematography programs, as well as lesser-known tracks focused on craftsmanship, curation, and emerging media, to help aspiring moviemakers be ready for anything \u2014 and to keep creating no matter what comes next.<\/p>\n

Jump to Canadian film schools<\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. West and Northwest<\/strong><\/h4>\n

AFI Conservatory (Los Angeles, CA) – Outstanding cinematography training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cinema is the ultimate visual medium, so image crafters are integral to its effectiveness. That\u2019s precisely why the AFI Conservatory, a virtually peerless breeding ground for elite artisans, offers an MFA in cinematography that challenges fellows to transcend boundaries in visual storytelling. As part of this demanding program, cinematography fellows get to work on about 28 films per year and produce their own 35mm cinematic essays. AFI provides incredible access to equipment, as well as advanced lighting workshops and practical seminars presented by some of the world\u2019s most acclaimed and experienced directors of photography. Since the conservatory\u2019s inception in 1969, 34 alumni have earned Academy Award nominations for cinematography.<\/p>\n

Chapman University (Orange, CA) – Outstanding Production Design Training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) – Outstanding Directing Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 90-year-old legacy backs USC School of Cinematic Arts, a leading force in preparing young creators to enter the entertainment industry, grow within it, and triumph. Its comprehensive MFA, with a specialization in directing, takes into account the need for graduates to be adept in the tools of the trade, while stressing the significance of conveying compelling stories with wide appeal. Located in the heart of Los Angeles and operating with an industry-minded worldview and enviable facilities, USC remains a gold standard for a film education for those with their sights on Hollywood. \u201cSince 1973, not a year has passed without an alumnus or alumna being nominated for an Academy Award,\u201d says Kristin Borella, associate dean of Communications and Public Relations.<\/p>\n

ArtCenter Pasadena (Pasadena, CA) – Outstanding Editing Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanford University (Stanford, CA) – Outstanding Documentary Training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Excellence and Stanford go hand in hand, and the revered institution\u2019s MFA in Documentary Production is no exception. Each year, only eight graduate students are admitted to become erudite in the art and craft of non-fiction storytelling. The program\u2019s philosophy is grounded in independence of vision, artistic expression with social awareness, and transformative aesthetic and conceptual expertise. As they internalize how to capture subjective truth through their personal lens, students dabble in diverse media from black-and-white 16mm film to digital video. Conversant in the documentary tradition and alternative narrative forms, graduates are prepared and qualified to teach at the university level.<\/p>\n

Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA) – Outstanding Production Training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

San Francisco State University (San Francisco, CA) – Outstanding Experimental Filmmaking Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Undergrads pursuing a filmmaking degree at SF State are able to choose one of three pathways to customize their education. Fiction and Documentary are two of the ones they can follow, but it’s the Experimental Filmmaking road that presents the most room for unconventional points of view to flourish. Like their fellow students in the other tracks, those in the experimental crowd develop original short films. But they also mold their take on cinema by learning about contemporary art and historical avant-gardes.<\/p>\n

The refreshing curriculum covers Experiments in Cinematic Form, Experimental Animation, and Exploration in Interactive Cinema.<\/p>\n

California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA) – Outstanding animation training<\/strong><\/p>\n

University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO) – Outstanding editing training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Graduate students in the MFA in Film program have access to a pristine computer editing\/post-production facility, as is the case at most higher learning institutions. But UCB also stands apart for its analog components, like a fully functioning Steenbeck lab, projectors and sundries, in-house digital-to-film and film-to-digital transfer stations, optical printers, and a chemical dark-room that serve a multitude of techniques and processes.<\/p>\n

University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA) – Outstanding screenwriting training<\/strong><\/p>\n

CalState Northridge (Northridge, CA) – Outstanding merging media training<\/strong><\/p>\n

CSUN has one of the most far-reaching academic programs of any public university on the West Coast, with undergraduate degrees in Film Production, Entertainment Media Management, and Screenwriting and Television Production (for both Narrative and Documentary). Still, its most cutting-edge track is the B.A. in Emerging Media, which deals with interactive and immersive storytelling to meet the needs of the new entertainment formats (virtual, augmented and mixed realities) that are changing how we appreciate and relate to audiovisual works. Courses include 360-video production (cinematic VR), Augmented Reality, video projection, and model-based VR developed for Oculus headsets.<\/p>\n

\"Megaphone<\/p>\n

Continue for the U.S. Northeast selections of our Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

U.S. Northeast<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Brooklyn College (Brooklyn, NY) – Top-notch equipment facilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brooklyn College\u2019s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is a film school located inside a working film lot. The brand new 68,000-square-foot facilities were built within New York\u2019s famed Steiner Studios and boast a music-scoring studio, a foley stage, a motion-capture studio, and a costume shop. Offering an MFA in Screen Studies and an MFA in Cinema Arts, Feirstein graduated its first class in the spring of 2018. Access, inclusion and diversity are paramount here: Half of the students are women and 40 percent are students of color. \u201cWe are a mission-driven film school founded with the goal of helping students who might not have another way into the industry find their foothold in entertainment,\u201d says program director Charles Haine.<\/p>\n

Columbia University (New York City, NY) – Outstanding screenwriting training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) – Outstanding directing training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forward-thinking in both its undergraduate and MFA programs, Temple University prepares directors to approach fiction, documentary, and alternative formats with an inquisitive regard for social and political exploration. By approaching the medium with an understanding of its power for real-world impact, and openness to its formal limitlessness, One great example of the university\u2019s philosophy is alumna Chinonye Chukwu, who became the first Black woman to win the Sundance Film Festival\u2019s Grand Jury Prize for US Drama for her acclaimed death-row drama Clemency<\/em>.<\/p>\n\"Best\n

Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) – Outstanding theory and criticism training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY) – Internships\/surrounding opportunities\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To complement its comprehensive and interdisciplinary BFA in Film, Photography, and Visual Arts, where students venture into 2-D design as well as video production, Ithaca College in New York offers on-set experience through its Los Angeles program. Ithaca\u2019s California branch helps arrange internships at an array of production and post-production companies. Such immediate networking opportunities enable students to begin carving their path from within the industry.<\/p>\n

Boston University (Boston, MA) – Outstanding producing training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emerson College (Boston, MA) – Outstanding costume and set design training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Known for its production programs, and more recently for its BFA in Comedic Arts, Emerson College is consistently listed among the country\u2019s best film schools. It should also be on the list for those who want to design characters\u2019 clothes and build their worlds. Emerson\u2019s BFA in Stage & Screen Design Technology zeroes in on these oft-overlooked disciplines. Over the course of four years, students will master multiple crafts via courses such as Drafting, Rendering, Production Design, Costume Design, Costume Construction, and Make-up Effects for Film & TV.<\/p>\n

Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, NY) – Outstanding screenwriting training<\/strong><\/p>\n

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New York University (New York City, NY) – Outstanding directing training<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the NYU Tisch Graduate Film program \u2014 an intense, 3-year commitment \u2014 students learn from the best, especially in the Directing concentration. At NYU, Oscar-winning director Spike Lee becomes Professor Spike Lee as he shapes the new generation of bold directors. The star-studded faculty also features Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou<\/em>, Harriet<\/em>), Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse<\/em>, Happiness<\/em>), and Alexandre Rockwell (In the Soup<\/em>), all of whom imbue their pupils with the technical mastery to materialize their personal visions.<\/p>\n\"Spike\n

Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI) – Outstanding animation training<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Continue for the U.S. Southwest and Midwest selections of our Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada, 2020<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n

U.S. Southwest<\/h4>\n

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) – Outstanding screenwriting training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

UTA\u2019s MFA in Screenwriting is consistently regarded as one of the best programs for anyone serious about writing great stories for film and television. Tuition is low compared to that of similarly celebrated institutions, but only seven students are accepted per year. One of its most remarkable features is the TV Writers\u2019 Room workshop class, in which the entire group collaborates to create a season of a new show that is then pitched to the major networks. This creates a direct link between emerging talent and those with the power to hire them. Meanwhile, the school\u2019s MFA in Film & Media Production recently added Latinx filmmakers Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer<\/em>, The Infiltrators<\/em>) and Iliana Sosa (Detained in the Desert<\/em>) to its faculty.<\/p>\n\"best\n

Oklahoma City University (Oklahoma City, OK) – Outstanding training<\/strong><\/p>\n

The university\u2019s BFA in Film Production \u2014 the only one of its kind in Oklahoma \u2014 is a general filmmaking program that offers a well-rounded education in craft and theory. Applicants interested in cinematography will find it particularly advantageous. Digital techniques are taught so that graduates are ready to work on sets. But they can try their hand at analog filmmaking as well. This year, OCU plans to open a new motion-capture studio and a motion graphics and CGI lab.<\/p>\n

Also read:<\/strong> Alumni Offer Their Film School Advice<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) – Outstanding theory and criticism theory and criticism training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aside from its B.A. and BFA in Film Media Arts, SMU offers an M.A. in Popular Film and Media Studies. Launched in 2015, this idiosyncratic program deals with the critical examination of mass-consumed media and their repercussions in society at large. It explores subjects like how dedicated fandom has influenced the development of science fiction and fantasy content. On the production side, SMU film majors produce a collective feature-length film over a summer on a biannual basis, meaning that if you are there for four years, you\u2019ll likely be part of two shoots.<\/p>\n

U.S. Midwest<\/h4>\n

Columbia College Chicago (Chicago, IL) – Outstanding television training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Education tailored toward making prestige television is in demand. Columbia College Chicago\u2019s B.A. in Television offers a wide-ranging curriculum that takes into account the entire TV production ecosystem, from writing to post-production. Seniors with a concentration in writing get to replicate the experience of interacting in a writer\u2019s room environment by pitching ideas and holding table reads with classmates. For those aspiring to become showrunners and executive producers, the BFA in Television Executive Producing and Entrepreneurship is a perfect fit: It\u2019s geared towards the business side of creative ventures to shape new decision-makers in a competitive media landscape. There\u2019s also a 35,500-square-foot media production center with three television studios, three sound stages, and even a remote production truck.<\/p>\n

DePaul University (Chicago, IL) – Outstanding comedy filmmaking training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

DePaul University takes advantage of its proximity to comedy company The Second City in its graduate and undergraduate degrees in Comedy Filmmaking. Its Master\u2019s in Screenwriting with a Concentration in Comedy is the first and only degree of its kind. Aimed at nourishing new comedic perspectives, courses are hosted at both The Second City and DePaul University. DePaul is also renowned for its access to impressive production facilities, most notably the 32,000-square-foot production facility Cinespace Studios.<\/p>\n

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) – Outstanding screenwriting training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) – Outstanding documentary training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Non-fiction storytelling is a priority at Northwestern University. Its relatively new MFA in Documentary Media program is a six-course study plan that embraces hybrid experimentation and encourages participants to look beyond traditional narrative formulas. Each graduate student receives $5,000 to help finance a thesis project, and students are also guaranteed an assistantship position for one academic quarter. Seasoned documentarian and cinematographer J.P. Sniadecki (The Iron Ministry, El Mar La Mar) serves as the program director.<\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n

Continue for the U.S. Southeast selections of our Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

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U.S. Southeast<\/h4>\n

University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, NC) – Outstanding creative producing training<\/strong><\/p>\n

UNCSA\u2019s Creative Producing MFA may be perfect for those seeking to specialize in the logistics of moviemaking without sacrificing their artistic instincts. After a year to cover the fundamentals of the business of storytelling, graduate students develop a slate of projects, both for film and television, and embark on the two-semester Business of Production track, with attention to important entertainment law topics. Marketing classes touch on the ins-and-outs of distribution and successful promotional campaigns. Also notable is the recent launch of the Media and Emerging Technology Lab. \u201cFor the first time in its history, the 2019-20 freshman class of UNCSA\u2019s School of Filmmaking was predominantly female,\u201d adds Lauren Whitaker, the school\u2019s media relations manager.<\/p>\n\"Best\n

Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) – Outstanding training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA) – Outstanding cinematography training<\/strong><\/p>\n

SCAD has made a name for itself as a college with state-of- the-art equipment. 4K cameras are standard at SCAD, and they have options. You can choose between working with an ARRI Alexa XT Plus, the EPIC-M Red Dragon, a Sony FS7, the Canon C300 MK2, or Blackmagic\u2019s URSA Mini cameras. If you prefer celluloid, the ARRI 416 Super 16mm Camera is also available. If that wasn\u2019t enough, SCAD\u2019s cameras come with all the fixings, leaving you with the pick of the litter when it comes to the latest dollies, cranes, Steadicam models, and lighting (LED, HMIs, Tungstens) \u2014 you name it. By the time graduation arrives, you\u2019ll be well-versed in the most current, image-crafting technology.<\/p>\n

Buy a print subscription and we’ll mail you the Summer issue, featuring John David Washington in Tenet<\/em>, for free!<\/a><\/p>\n

University of Miami (Miami, FL) – Outstanding directing training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL) – Outstanding animation training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Memorable characters and stories come to life every day through Ringling College\u2019s Computer Animation program, where artists-in-training learn to take an idea from concept to completion. The program understands that animation thrives when creators harness their technological aptitudes with a strong and universal vision. Not only do students learn to design, model, paint, texture, animate, light, composite, and edit their own works, but they also engage with visiting professionals to gain industry-level feedback. The campus has multiple labs and a powerful render farm on- site. Last year, Aviv Mano, one of the program\u2019s recent grads, won the Student Academy Award for his aptly titled thesis short film “Game Changer!” Other alumni have worked on high-profile features such as Coco<\/em>, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/em>, and Incredibles 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n

Continue for the Canadian selections of our Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Canada<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Vancouver Film School (Vancouver, British Columbia) – Outstanding animation training<\/strong><\/p>\n

The world-renowned animation programs at VFS dive deep into the versatile medium with courses pointedly created to guide students into a fruitful career after graduation.<\/p>\n

In one year, artists can get a diploma in Classical Animation, Animation Concept Art, and 3D Animation and Visual Effects, plus a polished demo reel or portfolio. \u201cOur program is an immersive production-based experience. It allows students a full understanding of the production pipeline while offering the ability to specialize,\u201d says Colin Giles, department head of Animation & VFX. Alumni have worked on such films as Toy Story 4<\/em>, Captain Marvel<\/em>, and Pok\u00e9mon Detective Pikachu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Red Deer College (Red Deer, Alberta) – Top-notch equipment facilities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryerson University (Toronto, Ontario) – Outstanding film preservation training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ryerson\u2019s one-of-a-kind graduate program in film and photography preservation adapts the need to safeguard the past and future of cinema to the digital era. Paired with access to the Ryerson Image Centre for exhibition and research, the courses imparted by museum, library, and archival professionals combine both the theoretical importance and real-world applications of the historical and technical aspects of preservation. As a final step before joining the workforce, graduate students can spend a residency at institutions like the Anthology Film Archives in New York City or Amsterdam\u2019s Eye Film Museum.<\/p>\n

Capilano University (North Vancouver, British Columbia) – Outstanding variety of unique programs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capilano University offers the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Diploma, a two- year program exclusively for indigenous storytellers taught by indigenous instructors. It deals with both aboriginal and industry practices for audiovisual productions. Students can then move on to obtain their Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts Degree. Other unique below-the- line educational opportunities at Capilano are a Costuming for Stage and Screen diploma, a Documentary certificate, and programs focused on Grip Work for Digital Imaging and Film, and Lighting for Digital Imaging and Film.<\/p>\n

Toronto Film School (Toronto, Ontario) – Outstanding screenwriting training\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toronto Film School\u2019s Writing For Film and TV program sets out to closely replicate the experience of a working writer. Its faculty includes industry veterans who offer not only the rules of the craft and tips on industry standards, but also real-world insights and credibility. They style their classes on\u00a0professional writing rooms, and also provide students with experience in table reads and the art of showrunning. Students will learn to pitch, write, produce and edit for all formats, and can expect to emerge from the program with finished scripts to show off their skills.<\/p>\n

Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) – Outstanding Theory and Criticism Training<\/strong><\/p>\n

Queen\u2019s University utilizes a blended learning method that features screenings, pertinent podcasts, and weekly seminars and lectures. Courses range from the general to the highly specific. They include one that analyzes the animated output of Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks, as well as \u201cThe Figure of the Witch in Popular Culture\u201d and \u201cThe Comedy Film: Chick Flicks \u2014 Laughing at or Laughing with?\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to MovieMaker’s annual list of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada, at what is obviously a […]","protected":false},"author":709,"featured_media":70414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"disable_comments":false,"tpd_featured_posts_arr":"","hide_featured_img_single_post":false,"msn_featured_video":[],"_msn_custom_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41838,41706,41836,11],"tags":[31160,12543],"feeds":[],"class_list":["post-69729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-school-lists","category-film-schools","category-lists","category-news","tag-best-film-schools-in-the-u-s-and-canada-2020","tag-feature"],"primary_category":{"term_id":41838,"name":"Film School Lists","slug":"film-school-lists","taxonomy":"category","url":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/category\/film-school-lists\/"},"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=150,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Film-Schools-Marquee-Updated.jpg","fimg_url_thumb":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=150,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Film-Schools-Marquee-Updated.jpg","featured_img_medium":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=300,height=208,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Film-Schools-Marquee-Updated.jpg","author_name":"Carlos Aguilar","author_avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e23f22f8909402af208d9d1c93b967c1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/author\/carlos_aguilar\/","post_categories":["Film School Lists"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada 2020, Presented by CU Boulder","url":"http:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/best-film-schools-in-the-us-canada-2020\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/best-film-schools-in-the-us-canada-2020\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=150,height=150,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Film-Schools-Marquee-Updated.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=650,height=450,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Film-Schools-Marquee-Updated.jpg"},"articleSection":"Film School Lists","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Carlos Aguilar"}],"creator":["Carlos Aguilar"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"MovieMaker Magazine","logo":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/mm_site_logo-2.svg"},"keywords":["best film schools in the u.s. and canada 2020","feature"],"dateCreated":"2020-08-17T20:00:54Z","datePublished":"2020-08-17T20:00:54Z","dateModified":"2024-08-22T21:58:29Z"},"rendered":"